Europe

Empty classrooms and over 100,000 on the streets in general student strike called by the Sindicato de Estudiantes (SE) and Libres y Combativas, the socialist feminist platform of SE and Izquierda Revolucionaria (CWI in Spanish state)

The general student strike on 10 May, called against te shameful sentencing of the ‘wolfpack’ rapists has been a great success. More than 1 million students emptied classrooms and more than 100,000 attended over 60 demonstrations organised by the Sindicato de Estudiantes and Libres y Combativas. Madrid city centre was filled by over 20,000 young people with an exceptionally combative atmosphere. The same was the case for Barcelona where over 40,000 filled the streets of the Catalan capital. In the Basque country, thousands marched in Bilbao, Gasteiz, Donosti and Iruña, as well as in all provinces of Andalucia, Valencia, Galicia, Aragon, Extremadura etc etc. Tens of thousands of students shouted loud and clear – ‘it was rape!’, ‘Sister, we are your ‘wolfpack’!, ‘I believe you!’ and ‘down with sexist “justice”!

It has been an extraordinary day of struggle in which students expressed their suppot and solidarity with the victim of the ‘wolfpack’ as well as our rejection of all such savage attacks, which we will not allow to continue, despite the “justice” system protecting perpetrators.

From Libres y Combativas and the Sindicato de Estudiantes we want to thank the dozens of feminist organisations which participated in the strike, as well as workers in struggle from Kellys and Coca Cola, the organisation in defence of the memory of Francoism’s victims and the movement in defence of public pensions, all of whom supported and participated in this day of action.

We showed today that the feminists who defend a programme of struggle and anti-capitalism are widening their influence. This is a feminism which is not afraid to call things by their proper name, does not hesitate to denounce the justice system which protects rapists, and fights the reactionary policies of the PP, Ciudadanos and all others who pretend to be feminists while sustaining the capitalist system which oppresses and kills us.

The sentence to the ‘wolfpack’ is part and parcel of the misery which the capitalist system and this corrupt right wing government forces millions of women, young people and workers to experience on a daily basis. 26 April (when the wolfpack sentence was pronounced) will go down as a day of infamy, as the day that the Spanish “justice” system permitted a brutal assault on our most basic rights, our right not to have our bodies raped and have those to blame absolved.

What has happened is no accident. This forms part and parcel of the journey back in time, reminiscent of the days of Francoism, which the PP is undergoing, which encourages all the most reactionary elements in the justice system to attack the oppressed, starting with women. This is capitalist “justice”. Artists, trade unionists, tweeters and feminists are harassed with trials, fines and imprisonment while all the thieves who hold PP membership cards and the bankers who evict us and bosses who exploit us continue to rule society. They call this “democracy” but we know it is not.

We have become used to this sexist “justice” which previous cases have underlined. They wish to send us a clear message: while there is persecution of those who struggle, there is impunity for sexists and corrupt politicians and bosses.

Today we made history once more in the struggle for freedom. But we cannot now let our guard down. From Libres y Combativas and the Sindicato de Estudiantes we call on all young people to continue to mobilise against all oppression and invite you to join us in building a revolutionary, anti-capitalist feminist movement.